Edinburgh Photo Diary
If someone showed me this picture above and asked me to guess the location I would certainly not say Edinburgh. I couldn't believe it myself when we spent 3 whole days exploring this wonderful city and not getting rained on once! Yes you just heard me right. It was a city that blew all expectations out the window. The views and scenery that surrounded the city was gorgeous. The city was very welcoming and although it was only an hour by plane north it felt like a completely different place to home which was a nice break. I had booked this trip as a surprise for mine and Luke's two year anniversary. I had told him we was going away for three days but he had no idea where we was off to. The closer is was getting to the holiday the more he was guessing and eventually did guess right, but it still didn't ruin the whole surprise of it as he didn't know where we was staying or anything I had planned while we was there. Although there isn't much change from our other trips as Miss organised over here normally does everything anyway and he just plods along.
Edinburgh is known for its beautiful architecture and grand tall buildings, so I didn't want to book your average Joe hotel, I wanted to make it extra special and breathtaking as part of the surprise. I booked this Hotel called the 'Salisbury Green Hotel' it is situated a little bit outside of the main drag and center of town but was totally worth it. Although it was technically on the University campus, we didn't see or hear anyone when we was there and the hotel staff were so lovely and helpful. We had a lovely clean room at the front of the building, with a nice big bed so we could both starfish and not feel like we are sleeping too close (like at home) There are loaddddss of bus stops everywhere in Edinburgh so you can easily hop on and off of buses, which took only 5-10 mins to get right into the center of town. One night we couldn't be bothered to wait for a bus so we just walked home which was nice as we got to see bits of Edinburgh at night and gave us a chance to walk our dinner off.
Our hotel offered a good selection breakie in the morning where there was a buffet of cereals, yogurts, bread etc and then they took your order for hot food. You could make your own full English and I stayed far away from the haggis. As you already know, Luke and I are huge foodies therefore a good breakfast in the morning sets us up for the day and starts the day right. We was very lucky to have Holyrood Park situated right behind us with a stunning view of Arthur's seat! It gave me butterflies every time I left the hotel and seeing that view, it was truly breath taking. I couldn't wait for us to hike up there and get the best view of Edinburgh, plus take some really good shots!
When arriving at our hotel we was advised that our room wasn't ready however they stored our luggage for us to collect later. They were so helpful with giving us maps of the area and advice for the local buses and where to pick them up from. Although little Miss Organised had already planned most of this haha After leaving the hotel we had the best welcome .The friendliest and cutest cat ever! Both Luke and I are cat people so when we see cats we are drawn to them, but in this case we didn't have to go following one but instead this cat was all over us. We stopped outside the hotel reception to use their WiFi to look for a restaurant near by and instead got smothered by this cat and it was all over Luke. I was a bit jealous actually haha. He was obviously looking for us to give him food but instead we gave him loads of attention and love.
We headed into the new town of Edinburgh and wandered the streets not really knowing where we was going or where we was going to end it. But its the best way to explore a city otherwise I find you are too fixed on a end destination and miss everything on the way. We ended up walking into the new town once eating at a little Greek restaurant called 'Richmond Cafe', that was super yummy! And had filled the hunger gap. We walked a section of the 'Royal Mile', more the old town section and also saw the 'Scott Monument'. We did end up going in the Apple Store in Princes Street, however we desperately needed to get a sleeve or case for Luke's new Mac Book Air that he had just put in his rucksack without any protection.... I couldn't take it no longer! The poor thing needed protecting. Job done. They were super friendly and helpful in there too.
It was tea and coffee o'clock for us two, so we went into the nearest place that was called 'Rabbie's Cafe'. I got a brew ( no surprise there) and of course Luke needed his coffee. We got them in a take away cup and headed up to 'Calton Hill'. Not gunna lie I was pretty out of breath once reaching the top of the slope.. Luke was powering on and there was me who was trying to keep up and then shouting "I'm in fat burning mode Luke! Look at my Fitbit" That gave me the incentive to keep going. Also I wanted to see the beautiful view of the city. We walked over to the 'National Monument of Scotland' where I regret not taking a photo of now because it is truely amazing but Luke was keen to find a patch of grass where he sip his coffee and have a light kip. We found a patch of grass and we had the view of Arthur's seat to look at. I had also packed shortbread that we could have a few with our tea and coffee. It was so nice to just sit and relax after non stop being on our feet from 6:00 in the morning. The weather was pretty good and when the odd bit of cloud cleared the sun was warm on my face and just made it so more relaxing.
We returned to our hotel to unpack and freshern up for our evening. I had researched a few places to eat before coming to Edinburgh so I was keen to check some of them out. We decided to go to a place called 'Red Squirrel which was in the new town area. We got the bus into town as it was a bit colder than during the day and this helped to get my bearings too and point out things I wanted to see in the next few days. The place was packed but managed to squeeze us in and despite the packed out restaurant we didn't have to wait long for our meals. Big juicy burgers and we shared a side of nachos, although thinking about it we didn't really need them. After our meal we decided to take a walk back to our hotel, although it was a good 40 mins walk it was nice to walk along Prices street and see the castle all lit up and take in Edinburgh at night.'
We had a big hearty breakfast and was ready to take on Arthur's seat. As I mentioned our hotel was right next to this glorious park so we didn't have to travel far. We started at the bottom by Holyrood park and I swear Luke picked the hardest way up but it sure did work me out. I was a sweaty mess. And I was wearing jeans and a leather jacket. Bad move! But we had to trooper on. We stopped near to the top but only because Luke got a phone call to do with work then while he temporarily switched on work mode he decided to order over the phone something he needed for work that week... random I know and he guy on the end of the phone must of wondered where the hell he was. But it gave me time to snap some of the views and get my breath back. I have never experienced wind like that, I couldn't even hear let alone still hold my camera still. I was being blown all directions, I actually thought I was going to fall over at some point!
The way we went down was certainly easier than the way we went up! It was nice and gradual as we came down and the views were beautiful. I kinda wanted to keep walking and exploring but we still had loads to do and tick off. We came away from the hills and ended up at the 'Holyrood Palace' and 'Scottish Parliament'. We used the toilets at the Palace and had a peek through the gates but didn't want to pay to get in. Lunchtime was calling, especially after the morning of lots of walking. I wanted to eat at this place called 'Oink', which I knew was on Victoria street however we found another branch of their's just on the street up from the palace.We got two pork rolls and demolished them so quick! I never seen a place so busy but they serve you super quick and it is defo worth the wait.
We walked into the Old town of Edinburgh where we followed the crowds up to the castle. We both wasn't bothered about going into the castle so we saved our money for something else. Even to look at the castle from the outside was enough for me and the views either side were pleasant. Oh and there are toilets to the right (down the stairs) as you walk away from the castle in case you need them. Luke alwaysssss needs a wee!
The one place I HAD to visit was 'Victoria Street'. The colors of the buildings were incredible! And the way the buildings curved round. Just wow. I was standing there for a good ten mins and taking in what was around me. I had seen this street in pictures but to see it in real life was another thing. We wandered some more and got lost actually and then our google maps decided to just not work and just get confused every step we took. But that was the fun of it. No surprise that we was trying to find another coffee place where we could plonk our tired legs and bums down for a nice rest , coffee and some cake. We ate and drank in a place called 'Black Medicine' which was another one on my list, ticked off. Lovely, earthy vibe in there. We returned back to our hotel very tired from a long day. Day three we spent it in Edinburgh Zoo which was really cute. We only had half a day before we had to head for the airport so we spent enough time exploring the zoo before getting the bus to the airport and jetting off home.
So there you have it. My photo diary of Edinburgh. I kinda wished I took more time taking more photos of the new and old town and also bits at the Zoo but I never like to see my whole holiday through a lens and stop starting too much. I know Luke doesn't mind most of the time when I am trailing behind photographing something but when its a tad cold or he is very hungry and craving coffee its best to just keep up and let my eyes enjoy the view for once. It was a lovely short getaway that I would recommend to anyone. It's one of those places that you need to see in your lifetime, especially if you live in the UK, its only an hour by plane but feels so far away from home once you get there. We was lucky with the weather and it only rained on the last day for an hour or so but pack for all weather but it may surprise you like it did for us. I booked it for our anniversary and it was a surprise for Luke and when he found out he was excited and assured me I made a good choice. (Thank god for that) It was so easy booking it through 'Last Minuet.com' so if your planning on going have a look on there as they do great deals on flights and hotels combined. So what are you waiting for? If you wanna see more of what we got up and the behind scenes I have a video on my YouTube channel you can check out, I shall link it below for you. Don't forgot to give it a thumbs up! Thank you for your support.
